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Meshugah Machers Go to War over Hamptons Rabbi

The simmering ego battle over power rabbi David Gelfand has erupted into an all-out legal war at the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, the spiritual vacation home of Steven Spielberg, Mort Zuckerman, and Alan Patricof. This summer, the center’s board said it wouldn’t renew Gelfand’s contract unless he responded to allegations of sketchy bookkeeping and employee mistreatment. But Gelfand’s supporters—including Skadden Arps partner Kenneth Bialkin and venture capitalist Leonard Gordon, a dissenting board member—fought back. Now the dispute is in Suffolk County Supreme Court. The Gelfandites are suing the board to force the contract extension, arguing that congregants voted in October to keep the rabbi. At a temple-wide meeting on December 4, they’ll push for a new, pro-Gelfand board. Laura Hoguet, a lawyer for the board, responds, “This lawsuit has no merit. The December 4 meeting is an end run around answering questions about the rabbi. We too want congregants to decide, but only after we’ve told them all the facts about his conduct.”